PRO/CON VIEW: Should the federal minimum wage be increased?

By Enterprise editorial staff

Published 10:00 am, Monday, July 30, 2012

OUR VIEW: Raise not justified

Any misguided efforts to increase the federal minimum wage should have been quashed by last week's dismal economic report. The nation's economy grew by only 1.5 percent in the second quarter. Clearly, our "recovery" is still limping along - and in danger of slipping back into a recession.

The last thing that America's employers need is another unfunded mandate and another reason to stop hiring new workers.

Above all, any city or state can increase the minimum wage within its boundaries any time it wants - and many have. That's further proof that a national increase is simply not needed or justified.

Of course $7.25 an hour is not a lot of money. But that's a reasonable wage for an entry-level position or someone without skills.

Anyone who wants to earn more should get the education or training that will open more doors to better careers. That method has worked for millions of other Americans, and it can work for them too.

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ANOTHER VIEW: Raise is overdue

The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 per hour for three long years as of last week. That paltry wage was barely sufficient in 2009, and it's not even close to acceptable today.

If the minimum wage had kept up with the cost of living since reaching its highest value back in 1968, it would be $10.55 today.

Yet congressional supporters of an increase aren't even asking for that much. Their reasonable proposal is to raise it to $9.80 in three annual steps and then adjust it for inflation.

That's fair. It will help bring millions of workers away from the edge of poverty and give them some basic dignity in their lives. How can a just nation deny that while many of the rich get even richer?

Of course some employers will say they can't afford to let a few more crumbs fall off the table. Yet these companies have learned to adapt to other changes or expenses, and they'll adapt to this one.

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